Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has known as for the rapid launch or prosecution of Sheikh Sani Khalifa Zaria, a Kaduna-based cleric.
In an announcement on Wednesday, Atiku stated the continued detention of the cleric with out trial is a violation of his basic rights.
Atiku stated Khalifa has reportedly been held since December 2025 over allegations of involvement in a coup plot.
He stated the cleric has not been formally charged earlier than any courtroom of regulation, stressing that the extended detention with out due course of raises severe constitutional and human rights issues.
He additionally stated a subsisting order of the Federal Excessive Court docket directing that the cleric be introduced in courtroom has allegedly been ignored.
A part of the assertion learn: “There may be no democracy with out strict adherence to the rule of regulation. No safety company is above the Structure, and none has the facility to deal with the rights of residents as privileges to be distributed with at will.”
Atiku stated the continued detention of the cleric with out entry to his household, authorized counsel and sufficient medical care quantities to a violation of his constitutional rights.
“Nigeria can not proceed to assert the standing of a democracy whereas the rights of its residents are routinely and openly violated,” he stated.
He expressed concern over rising public hypothesis in regards to the cleric’s situation, including that the silence of authorities has deepened uncertainty and distrust among the many public.
The previous vice-president urged safety businesses to both launch Khalifa or cost him earlier than a reliable courtroom, noting that something in need of that might quantity to illegal detention and abuse of energy.